Academics

The California General Education Requirements

 

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California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) 

This pattern is for students who began a California Community College Fall 2025 or later, or those who have not maintained catalog rights. See a counselor for details.

The California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) is a general education program that community college transfer students may use to fulfill lower-division general education requirements in either the UC or the CSU system without the need, after transfer, to take additional lower-division general education courses. The Cal-GETC pattern is most useful for students who want to keep their options open before making a final decision about transferring to a particular UC or CSU campus. Completion of Cal-GETC does NOT guarantee admission, nor is it required for admission. The curriculum and its policies are overseen by the Intersegmental Committee of the Academic Senates (ICAS), representing faculty from California’s three segments of public higher education.

Some students may be better served by taking courses that fulfill the General Education requirements of the college to which they plan to transfer. Students pursuing majors that require extensive lower-division major preparation may not find the Cal-GETC option to be advantageous. Engineering, Architecture, and Liberal Studies are examples of those majors. Schools of Engineering do not generally recommend Cal-GETC. Before selecting any courses, please see a counselor for assistance in planning your program.

Courses completed at a California Community College will be applied to the subject area in which they were listed by the institution where the work was completed. Coursework from other United States regionally accredited institutions may be used on Cal-GETC. Coursework must be evaluated by a counselor. All courses must be completed with a grade of C (2.0) or higher. A “Credit” or “Pass” that is defined by institutional policy as being equivalent to a grade of C (2.0) or higher may be applied to meet Cal-GETC requirements. Foreign coursework from non-US regionally accredited institutions may not be used. Course credit earned on the basis of acceptable scores on Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exams can be applied toward Cal-GETC certification (see the charts at the end of this chapter for a list of acceptable AP/IB courses and scores.)

Important: All courses must be completed with grades of C (2.0) or higher. Courses used to meet Cal-GETC requirements must have a minimum of 3 semester or 4 quarter units. (Exceptions may be made for English composition and math. See a counselor for details.)

For information regarding “Cal-GETC Certification” see the Transfer section of the catalog. 

UC Berkeley only accepts full Cal-GETC certification. 

Some private and out-of-state colleges and universities will accept the completed Cal-GETC to meet their lower-division general education requirements.

The private and out-of-state colleges and universities below will accept the completed Cal-GETC to meet their lower-division general education requirements.  

  • AICU
  • American University of Paris (France)
  • Arizona State University
  • Biola University
  • California College for the Arts
  • California Lutheran University
  • Chapman University
  • City University of London (England)
  • Cogswell Polytechnical College
  • Concordia University
  • Dominican College of San Rafael
  • Hawaii Pacific University
  • Holy Names College
  • JFK University
  • John Cabot University (Rome, Italy)
  • Menlo College
  • National University
  • Northern Arizona University
  • Notre Dame de Namur University (formerly College of Notre Dame)
  • Oregon State University
  • Saint Mary’s College of California
  • Scripps College
  • Southern University and A&M College (Baton Rouge, LA)
  • University of La Verne
  • University of Northern Colorado
  • University of San Francisco
  • University of the Pacific
  • University of the West
  • Vanguard University of Southern California
  • Woodbury University 

California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) Requirements

All courses must be completed with a grade of C (2.0) or higher. Courses used to meet IGETC requirements must have a minimum of 3 semester or 4 quarter units. (Exceptions may be made for English composition and math. See a counselor for details.)

Applying Non-SMC Coursework to Cal-GETC

A summary of requirements for Cal-GETC certification of non-SMC courses:

  1. The institution is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges or an equivalent accrediting body.
  2. A course taken at a California Community College is applied to the subject area in which it is listed by the institution where the work was completed (check assist.org for college Cal-GETC lists).
  3. Coursework from other U.S. regionally accredited institutions may be used on Cal-GETC. Coursework may be evaluated by a counselor.
  4. The grade received in the course is C (2.0) or higher. A grade of C- (C minus) is not acceptable. A “Credit” or “Pass” that is defined by institutional policy as being equivalent to a grade of C (2.0) or higher may be applied to Cal-GETC requirements.
  5. Foreign coursework from non-United States regionally accredited institutions cannot be used for Cal-GETC.
  6. Each course is a minimum of 3 semester or 4 quarter units. (Exceptions may be made for English composition or math. See a counselor for details.)
  7. All courses that meet Cal-GETC requirements are completed by the end of the semester that the student is petitioning for certification.

Transfer Admission Requirements for the University of California (UC)

The minimum requirements for UC transfer admission can be found at admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/transfer.
Students must:

  • Complete the following 7-course pattern by the end of the spring term prior to fall enrollment at UC:
    • Two transferable courses in English composition;
    • One transferable course in mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning;
    • Four transferable courses chosen from at least two of the following subject areas:
      • arts and humanities
      • social and behavioral sciences
      • physical and biological sciences
  • Complete at least 60 semester (90 quarter) units of UC-transferable credit. No more than 14 semester (21 quarter) units of the 60 semester (90 quarter) units may be taken on a Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit basis. Courses designated “UC” in the course description will transfer as baccalaureate credit for (at least) elective credit to the University of California. Students should refer to assist.org for further information.
  • Earn at least a 2.4 GPA in UC-transferable courses (2.8 if the student is a nonresident) and be in good standing at the last college or university attended. Note: Some majors require a higher GPA for admission selection and a higher grade point average is required to be a more academically attractive transfer applicant to most UC campuses.

All branches of the University of California allow up to 70 transferable semester units from a community college. Students who have already completed 70 or more transferable semester units at a community college may still complete courses for credit (e.g., to finish Cal-GETC or major requirements) at a community college, but will not be able to transfer more than 70 semester units of credit to the University of California. Please note: All UC-transferable units will be included in the GPA calculation and analyzed for subject credit.

Students are advised to visit the SMC Transfer/Counseling Center and meet with a counselor for a realistic estimate of the current grade point average actually required for admission to selected major programs at various UC campuses. Students are also advised to verify the most appropriate lower-division general education pattern for their goal.

Applying Exam Credit to IGETC

See the “Credit by Exam” charts in the catalog for a list of the AP and IB exams that may be used on the Cal-GETC pattern.